TARAWERA VALLEY and Mountain From the East Coast.

Auckland Star, Volume XVII, Issue 135, 11 June 1886, Page 3

TARAWERA VALLEY and Mountain From the East Coast.

The following information regarding tho scene of the volcanic disturbance, ha* been supplied to us by Mr D. 8. Chambers who visited the di&irict luti January: - village Te Anki, near Lnk« Kotomahana. m,r A' WaS C r°""il KlaPhic oulli"e of Al on y s Sl 3 °Uri ICy>t: iVT" °<b>' an old tatooed Maori, who sketched our course with bi« inger on the eand as we «t on our horew surrounded by a group of native*, ottr host (Mr Mo<sarvoy)the schoolmaster, and a few oi his black pupils, mil! Wt !i ad h UI' nßyed on h°rseback 81 miles in three days from Tauranga doivn the coast to Whakatane, then across the country to Te Tokho.and on thia.the fourth aay, wo hoped to reach the Tarawera fountain from tho East Coast, a route to nttlo known that our host, Mc«arVev though ha had lived thero &3 ye^rs had not travelled it. There was no road •an old Maori track We hoped to find, and as thoro Was toot a native village until we readied Kotomahana, we each of us carried fe lew provisions.

'•The valley through which the Tarawern, and Rangitaiki Kivers flow revealed several curious natural phonomeoa. The river at tho time of our vicit (January, ISS6) was very bw, owing to the drought, and standing m the bed of the river were hundreds ot tree trunks, mostly puriri, which at some time had been buried by gome great convulsion of nature. The banks of tl>o tiver were composed of alternate layers of glacier, -worn pebbles, and pumice, tho whole valley appearing of the same formation. That the trees had (rrowrs where we saw them there can be no doubt, before the valley was filled up to its present level by the wearing away of tho hills above, and volcanic discharges from Mounts Edgecombe and Tarawera.

"After crossing a s;vamp, a wall of powdered pumico stono rose abruptly in front of us,and at the top of this was v level pumice stano plane, white us enow. No soil was visible, yet large manuka or ti-trcee were growing every fifteen or twenty feet apart. The trunks and low'or branches appeared white, like the ground, partly o»viiig to the light-coloured lichens and pumice dust with which they were covered, and partly owing to rtfloction. Tho tops of the trees appeared gleonor than usual. Wo visited several boiling sulphur springs, after crossing Tarawera Kiver. For '20 miles the banks of tho river and hill sides revealed immense depooita of sulphur and boiled mud.

"After [ws.siiig Mount Edgecombe, wo ro-crosi-ed Tarawora River, and our course was between low, rounded hills, with f-nm.ll valleys running east and \vest, all of which opened into tho larger ones, running north and south. All the hills had that welldefined, rounded appearance, due to glacier action.

" After climbing a hot, eundy, dusty hill, tho cool, blue waters of La,ke Tarawera appeared in view. The last mile to tho lake and mountains was through a pas.s with tho river llowin^-, partly hidden by tho bush, in a gorge SO toct below us, and 400 feat wide, Perpendicular cliffs formed tho other side of thu gor^o (like Corinthian columns piled ono on tho other), while the )"0»t Consisted of larjj;e masses of rock, 50 or GO feet square. Tarawera Mountain rose, almost perpendicular, on our loft, tho top appealing like a saw, rough and jagged. The Maori told us wu should find some wild chorrytrees growing on the cdno of the Lake, which wo did, and* as the cherries were just ripe, wo enjoyed them after our 20 milo lide beneath a scorching sun.

''The waters of Lake liotomahana, Lako Koto-Makariri, Lako Koto-Kakahi, Luke Tikitupu, and Lake Olcureka all_ How into Lake Tarawera, tho only outlet for which ia through tho narrow mentioned, aud should it becomo blocked up by tho falling of the almost perpendicular rides of Tarawera Mountain into tho gorge, it would causo a chango in the aspoctof tho Lako district.

" The base of tho mountain dips into the lake, and 300 foot up the side ami face of tho mountain wo had to climb, loading our horses a step at a time as they walked up the rooky stair*-, somo of wh'.ch weie 2 and 3 feet deep, at each «;op planting their feot in foothoks worn in tho solid rook. Tho horses would stand for a time and look at tho ntxo etop in advance, and in one place tho Rttp must havo beon at least 4 feet. Then we reachid a kind of terrace (on the mountain side), along which wo travelled a short distance. We descended to the level of tho lake-, and journeyed along its edge for about four miles, and ioat our way for a time. Some natives who wcro crossing tho lake in a canoe, observed us, und directed by signs tho way we should go to reach tho native villagoof Te Ariki. "On the southern and western sides tho mountain slopes very much towards Lako Rotomahana, and south of Tarawera is one of the most porfectly - shaped volcanoes in the iciland. Tarawera mountain ia about 20 miles in circumference at its base, and the crater appears to bo about 4 miles in circumference. It has beon tho ;-cenc of tierco commotion. Largo rents and nVsures appeur in its sides, and as wo journeyed along the plopes our horacs often sank up to their knoea in pumice stone. We crossed several email gorges on tho slopes of tbo mouutain, but aa wo kept near the edge ot tho lake they were not difficult to cro.-iw. The walls of *ho gorges were pumice-stone. Tho top and sides of tho mountain in some placea wore bare of vegotation. Thtre was a thick growth of Bcrub in most parts. _ The surface was not near 80 rough as Kangitoto, near Auckland, but geologically speaking, the vulcano appeared much older. There are not now any"native village* in botwten Te Teko and Rotomahana, a distance of about 35 miles. There wero no European settlors that we could hear of.oxcept ono on the Ualateu Plains, Hooper by name. Sometimes a few natives ii.ih for etlsat tho hoad of the Tarawera River. Wo saw fourthere, one of whom had just speared a largo eel 4fr. long-. We caw also tho ruins of an old pa and mission station. "Atthebaseof the mountain we saw herds of wild horses and pige, and lower down the river lots of wild cattlo. Birds were scarce, except the ever-welcome tantail. After wo had journeyed about nine miles round the baeo of tho mountain, wo came to the native village of Te Ariki, composed of a few whores on tho edge of Lake Tarawera, whero tho etroum empties the waters of Lake Rotomahuna into Lako Tarawera. This village i.-i tho only ono round Tarawera Mountain. Generally (here aro about 20 natives there, consisting of Thompson, his wife, and 0 children, hid white-haired father, and a few other natives. Thompson was the adopted name of our Maori host, muscular and tall, 6 foot »n height; his heaa measured 23i inches in circumference by the tape just above tho eyebrows, his forehead was full in the centre and receded at the sidec.Taller men and bigger men I have seen, but Thompson,ot Tarawera. is as fine a specimen of manhood as I ever saw. Ho spread us mats at one end of his wharo, and provided us with food. Tho ground on which wo slopt was warm, for wo were in tho land of hot water, hot mud, hos rivers, and hot lakes. Wo slept soundly on our warm, earthen bod, and in tho morning prepared for our visit to tho famous Pink and White Torracec, and from thence to Ohinomutu, distant about 20 miles by way of Wairoa, which is about halfway between Tarawera mountain and Ohinemutu township."